I'm all about bobbleheads

For the record, no you may not pet my Nino bobblehead: But if you're really nice, I might let you look at it from a safe distance.

Somebody grew up over the summer: Brad Ross, getting it done with three goals over the course of the two games this week. And this after only getting back to town on Sunday. And he's deservedly wearing one of the A's this year. Game on. Season on. Whatever on. This is the draftee to watch.

Pop quiz: how many Taylo(e)rs are there on the Winterhawks' roster?: Officially, 4. But three are on the active roster right now and all recently returned from NHL training camps. And all three are polite, thoughtful, totally respectful, friendly and all-around great kids. And here's what they had to say about NHL training camp, school and their favorite hockey cliches:

When I asked about training camp, I got similar answers all around about the value of what they need to get to the next level, experience, progress and the good lessons they learned from pro players about professional behavior off the ice. Here are the choice nibbles that jumped out at me:

Tayler with an E: "It was great to see their work ethic, and how they carry themselves" and to "get a taste of what it's like at that next level." Tayler is finishing up high school with a social studies class. He has already taken an intro to business course and looks forward to taking another class like that. And yes, he did play on a line with Stefan at Vancouver's training camp, where his potential future employers encouraged him to put on weight as part of getting bigger and stronger for the next level that is the NHL. My take: I'm glad he learned from the NHL pros about off-ice behavior, but he's already got that one well in hand with his very friendly, polite, thoughtful and respectful personality.

Taylor Aronson: Compared to Portland, training camp with Nashville was "different, harder, and a faster pace." About Shea Weber: He's a great guy and a great leader. He's got a really hard slap shot." Taylor has already completed high school thanks to independent study courses, and is still deciding what classes to take this year. His favorite hockey cliche: "gotta take 'em one day at a time." Now mind, Graham and I prompted him with a few and he picked that one. But still, he had options. Disclaimer: I have the privilege of also knowing Taylor's family, so yes "my take" is totally biased. Here it is: Taylor is very smart, totally polite and direct in his answers. Translation: get ready Nashville, something very special is coming your way.

Taylor Peters: The one I was most envious of, as he spent time at the Pittsburgh Penguins' training camp. But regrettably he left just as the pro players were coming back and dispersing to hand out season tickets, so no dirt on Sidney Crosby. But he did confirm that Consol Energy center is state of the art, and that training camp was "a good gauge for where I need to be to progress to the next level on and off the ice." He is studying marketing and Intro to College. Yes, there is a class with that name and it teaches life skills like time management and other things freshmen need to succeed. Sounds silly, but frankly I could have used a class like that when I went off to college. His favorite hockey cliche: he'd heard a few that had swear words, so with a little prompting, he picked the classic "you just gotta do the little things." My take: Ray Shero and company don't invite just anyone to camp, and the team is very big on important values like work ethic and teamwork. I can guarantee they'll find it in Taylor and I hope he'll get another chance to show that to them.

It is just me: On an earlier post, I posed a rhetorical question about whether Tayler Jordan had grown an inch over the summer. I stand corrected. He's been 6'6" since he was 15.

What, no basket weaving?: I was chatting with some fellow fans last year, when one of them pointed out that the players could get away with taking a basket weaving class and it would count as "school." I'm proud to say the three Ts are not taking basket weaving and are in fact serious about the things they are learning on and off the ice.

'Bite of the morning: Hands down, Ian Curtis' crafty answers to the boys over at KUFO on Friday morning. Of course, the talk turned to girls and goals. In response to whether he's distracted by girls during the season, he came up with this zinger to restate his point about staying focused on the game: "skirts and sticks don't mix." Oh and this vintage tidbit, which he busted out when asked about whether he has a girlfriend: "tried it for a few years, but my stats were bad." Sheer genius.

Now, back to topic and my predictions for Saturday's game: I don't give a rip about stat sheets, as we all know by now. So I'm basing my pre-game analysis on something far more scientific and mathematically calculated: my late afternoon, post-meet players and watch practice opinion. I'm going with 5 points, with goals scored as follows:

1- Brad. Why stop now? Carry on with the breakaways and mowing down everything that isn't nailed down en route to the net.

2- Spencer. Again, on a roll with three goals, and fresh from training camp. Carry on.

3- Sven and/or Ty. Duh.

4 - Brendan Leipsic - Just because I want to see him go totally airborne again in a completely unhinged goal scoring celebration.

5 - Tyler Wotherspoon - he sets up some pretty ones, why not score a few too?

Total score for Seattle: Less than us, preferably 0. If Keith Hamilton's in net, then I'm all in for his first WHL shutout.

Parting shots: I have had the privilege of meeting the team and the staff on a number of occasions now, and I have been duly impressed every time. I figured the boys would look at me like a freak, give me cliches and blank stares and look at the clock in an attempt to get as far away from me as possible. Nothing could be further from the truth. They shook my hand, looked me in the eye, answered me directly and honestly and never once got distracted. They were thoughtful in their answers and happy to answer my questions. You'll see what I mean if you're coming to the meet-the-team party on Sunday. We are very privileged to have some very smart, well-spoken and special boys roaming about our town. Does it always show on the ice? No. Of course not. Hockey is a fast game and even NHL players say and do a lot of unsavory things in the heat of the moment. If they didn't, let's face it, would we really want to watch the game? But after meeting a handful of the Winterhawks...I've said it once and I'm sure I'll say it again: behind the great plays are great players. They will only be with us for a fleeting, short time. I'd suggest you come on down to the Rose Garden and watch Portland's shooting stars while you can. I guarantee you they are worth it.